Boxing Preview: Jorge Barrios, Saul Alvarez In Action Tonight

ByAlejandro Tostado

Ex-WBO super feather champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios makes the move up to lightweight tonight when he faces Moises Castro for the Interim WBO crown at Polideportivo Carlos Cerutti in Cordoba, Argentina.

Barrios, 47-4-1 (34), fought everyone at super feather and now wants the world’s hardest puncher at any weight, WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero, but first, “La Hiena” has to take care of Panamanian foe Castro, 27-11-4 (13).

The Tigre based Argentine hero has only lost in hard fought affairs to Acelino Freitas, Joan Guzman and Rocky Juarez over the last 12 years and the 33 year old has definitely traded in much more experienced company than has Castro.

11 year pro Castro started at super flyweight and came up the hard way in Managua, battling it out up through successive divisions in relative obscurity but the tall southpaw is coming off a good performance during a 10 round loss to former WBA lightweight champ Jose Alfaro and “La Cobrita” could definitely make things difficult for Barrios or even cause an upset.

The undercard sees lightweight Israel Hector Enrique Perez, 22-2 (13), square off with Alberto Leopoldo Santillan, 15-2 (4), over ten rounds.

One of the top welterweight prospects in the world today gets in the ring at Auditorio Benito Juarez in Zapopan, Mexico as Saul Alvarez tangles with Marat Khuzeev for the vacant WBC Youth championship.

Alvarez, 27-0-1 (20), just turned 19 and is the reigning NABF and WBO Latino titlist. The teenager from Juanacatlan is coming off a ninth round KO of Jeferson Luis Goncalo in June and this will be his fourth bout of 2009.

28 year old Khuzeev, 18-4-1 (7), is a former amateur star from Russia who posted victories over Christian Bladt and Jozsef Matolcsi earlier in his career.

But Khuzeev has had difficulty over the last two years, losing three of his last six, including a second round KO at the hands of unbeaten Turkish slugger Selcuk Aydin last September for the WBC International belt.

Khuzeev will likely have to turn in the performance of a lifetime to outbox and defeat Alvarez.